The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an ocherous panel for use as an interior building material, and more particularly, to a method of manufacturing a panel made of ocher that has excellent insulating properties and emission of far infrared ray, and that is superior to conventional building materials such as cement, concrete, rock wool and soundproofing boards in strength, fire resistance, soundproofing, and interior aesthetic appeal.
Conventionally, in the construction of walls or ceilings, polystyrene foam, PE (polyethylene) film or finishing mortar has been used as an insulation material, and soundproofing board, rock wool or glass wool has been commonly used as a buffering material.
These materials have been used in the past mainly for insulation or soundproofing, but they have been used without due consideration of the environmental problems caused by their disposal and their harmfulness to the human body. Thus, there is a need for a new building material that is not harmful to humans and that also does not cause environmental problems.
In this regard, there have been attempts to develop a panel comprised of ocher, which is obtained from nature, is not known to cause harm to the human body, and does not contribute to environmental pollution.
A conventional method for manufacturing an ocherous panel is described in Korean Patent No. 191272, dated Jan. 23, 1999 and entitled xe2x80x9cmethod of manufacturing an ocherous panel for building construction.xe2x80x9d In this method, an ocherous panel is manufactured by mixing together 68 wt % of carefully selected ocher, 30 wt % of waste pulp and 2 wt % of size (liquid paste) as a crosslink agent; adding 20 wt % of water to the mixture and kneading the total mixture in a pug mill; extruding the mixture through rollers to form a flat panel of a predetermined thickness; and curing the panel in a hot blast conveyor at a temperature of 80 to 150xc2x0 C. for about 2 hours.
Unfortunately, the ocherous panel manufactured by this conventional method has disadvantages in that when it absorbs more than 30% moisture, the size contained therein reacts with microorganisms in the air and decomposes, thus contaminating the room air, and also in that the panel distorts when it is cured in the hot blast conveyor.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a new method of manufacturing an ocherous panel for use as an interior building material that substantially eliminates the limitations and disadvantages of the prior art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing an ocherous panel which exhibits superior strength, heat resistance, insulating properties, and soundproofing in comparison with conventional materials used for walls and ceilings. The invention is also suitable for use as an interior decoration because it can be formed in a variety of shapes, such as a plane, a curved surface, or a refracted surface, for instance, depending on the shape of the mold used.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method for an ocherous panel where the panel does not decompose due to the absorption of moisture and is not distorted or transformed when it is exposed to heat.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing an ocherous panel in which one side of the panel is vitrified to provide a protective layer on the side of the panel and thereby prevent contamination or scarring of the panel""s surface.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an ocherous panel for use as an interior building material that has excellent insulating properties and emission of far infrared ray.